Vented lid for hot drink cup



Aug. s, 1969 w L- MILLER 3,459,324

' VENTED LID FOR HOT DRINK CUP F'led Jan. 11, 1968 INVENI` OR United States Patent O 3,459,324 VENTED LID FOR HOT DRINK CUP William L. Miller, Skokie, Ill., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 697,206 Int. Cl. B65d 51/16 U.S. Cl. 220-44 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to closures for beverage containers, and more particularly provides an improved closure for cups in which hot beverages, such as coffee, are packaged for carry-out sales. The closure includes an upstanding bead defining therewithin a floor portion which includes an upstanding generally C-shaped wall. A pair of disks are disposed in overlying relationship to the floor portion with the C-shaped wall maintaining the lowermost disk in spaced relationship to the floor portion. An aperture within the C-shaped wall and a passage between the terminal ends of the C-shaped -wall define means for the ingress of vapor from within a container through the floor portion into an area between the door portion and the disk adjacent thereto, while means for the egress of vapor from the area past the disks to atmosphere is formed by spacing means disposed along the periphery of the closure.

When a paper cup or other container is filled with a hot beverage, such as coffee, tea or the like, and capped with a lid or closure of paper, plastic or combinations thereof, the lid must be provided with some means through which excess vapor coming off the hot liquid can escape to the atmosphere. -It is known to provide a small hole or holes in such lids at center portions thereof for this purpose. Such venting means serve the intended function, but at the same time drops of the liquid contents can 002e through the venting means and thereby present a messy appearance at the exposed top surface of the closure.

A primary object of the invention in keeping with the foregoing is to provide a novel closure wherein provision is made for absorbing condensable vapor to thus prevent the escape of the vapor to atmosphere while hiding unsightly stains and also preventing objectionable outspilling of the liquid.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved closure of the character stated wherein the closure includes an upstanding bead defining therewithin a floor portion which is in turn provided with an upstanding generally C-shaped Wall within which is formed an aperture, a first liquid-absorbent disk and a second liquid-impermeable disk are positioned within the upstanding bead with the peripheral edges thereof in at least partial spaced relationship to the bead whereby vapor passing through the aperture and condensing upon contact with the liquid-absorbent disk is absorbed thereby and any stain marks on the liquid-absorbent disk are hid by the liquid-impermeable disk.

Witht the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a novel closure of this invention, and illustrates a pair of disks disposed in overlying relationship to a floor portion of the closure within an upstanding bead.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded top perspective view of the 3,459,324 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 ice closure, and illustrates the pair of disks prior to being positioned within an area bounded by the upstanding bead.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along lthe line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, and more clearly illustrates the pair of disks in the assembled position thereof.

FIGURE 4 is a highly enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken generally along line 4 4 of FIGURE 3, and illustrates means providing for ingress of vapor from within a container into an area between Ithe floor portion and the disk adjacent thereto, and means for the egress of vapor from the area past the disks to the atmosphere.

A novel closure 10 of this invention includes a disklike body 11 having provision at its periphery, as clearly indicated at 12, for attachment to a cup or other container 13 adapted to receive a hot liquid, such as coffee, tea or the like. The closure 10 is preferably of an all plas- -tic vacuum form construction, but the same may be formed from paper or as a composite of plastic, such as polystyrene and paper.

The cup or container 13 in which a hot beverage may be packaged for carry-out sales includes a conventional body wall 14 which is flared radially outwardly toward its open mouth `(unnumbered) defined by an outwardly downwardly and inwardly turned curl 15. While the closure attacking means at the periphery of the closure may take various forms, in the present disclosure the same includes a heel or plug wall 16 (FIGURE 3) receivable in the flare of the body 14 and a channel 17 for receiving the curl 15.

The closure body 11 is provided with one or more annular reinforcing ribs 18, and also includes an upstanding annular bead, generally designated by the reference numeral 20. The annular be-ad 20 defines therewithin a floor portion 21 (FIGURE 4) which at a central portion thereof is provided with spacing means 22 in the form of an upwardly directed C-shaped wall having terminal ends 23, 24 between which is defined a passage 2S. An aperture or opening 26 is formed in the floor portion 21 substantially centrally of the C-shaped wall 22. The upstanding bead 20 further includes an inner annular wall 27 provided with a plurality of generally axially disposed radially inwardly opening slots or grooves 28 which define means for the egress of vapor from the area above the floor portion 21 to the atmosphere past a pair of disks 30, 31.

The disk 30 is constructed from liquid-absorbent material, such as paper or similar fibrous absorbent material, while the disk 31 is constructed from relatively translucent or opaque liquid-impermeable material, such as polystyrene or similar polymeric material. The disk 30= is first inserted within the upstanding bead 20 in the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 4 whereupon the C-shaped wall 22 maintains the disk 30 in spaced relationship to the hoor portion 21 and defines therewith an area or chamber 32. The periphery (unnumbered) of the disk 30 is in frictional contact with the wall 27, it being noted that the wall 27 is inclined upwardly and toward the axis of the closure 10. Upon the insertion of the disk 30 to the position shown in FIGfU-RE 4, the inclined construction of the wall 27 and the resilience thereof frictionally grips the periphery of the disk 30 and adequately retains the same in the position illustrated in this same figure. Likewise, the disk 31 is thereafter seated atop the disk 30 and again the incline and resilient nature of the wall 27 frictionally grips the periphery of the disk 31 and retains the same in the position shown in FIGURE 4.

Assuming hot liquid is packaged within the cup 13 and the closure 10 is positioned thereon in a manner illustrated in FIGURE 3, any vapor coming off the hot liquid passes through the aperture 26, as indicated by the dashed unnumbered arrow passing through the aperture 26 in FIG- URE 4. A portion of this vapor may immediately contact the under surface of the disk 30, become condensed by the cooler temperature, and the condensed liquid would thereby tbe immediately absorbed by the disk 30 at the central portion. The remaining portion of the vapor may pass through the passage 25, condensed Within the area 32 and be similarly absorbed by the disk 30. Any remaining vapor could thereafter vent to atmosphere from the area 32 through the slots 28, 28, as indicated by the dashed headed arrows associated therewith. Thus, in this manner most of the Vapor and -any liquid passing through the aperture 26 is absorbed by the disk 30 while any remaining vapor is free to pass to the atmosphere through the slots 28. It should also be noted that any vapor which condenses in the area 32 or any liquid which spills directly into this area through the aperture 26 can at least partially return to the cup through the passage 25 and the aperture 26. Furthermore, due to the relatively translucent or opaque nature of the disk 31, any discoloration of the disk 30 due to the absorption thereby of the packaged liquid is hid and the closure thereby provides a neat and esthetic appearance irrespective of stains or markings beneath the disk 31.

I claim:

1. A closure comprising a disklike body having means at its periphery for effecting attachment to a cup or other container, said body including an upstanding bead defining therewith a floor portion, a pair of disks disposed in generally overlying relationship to said floor portion, means providing for ingress of vapor from within a container on which the closure may be mounted through the floor portion into an area between the oor portion and the disk adjacent thereto, means for the egress of vapor from said area past said disks to atmosphere, said disk adjacent said fioor portion being constructed from liquidabsorbing material, and said remaining disk being constructed from liquid-impermeable material.

2. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said remaining disk is frictionally secured to said upstanding bead.

3. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said vapor ingress means is defined in part by means spacing said adjacent disk from said fioor portion.

4. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said vapor egress means is defined by means spacing wall portions of said upstanding bead from peripheral portions of said disks.

5. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said vapor ingress means is defined in part by means spacing said adjacent disk from said fioor portion, and said vapor egress means is defined by means spacing wall portions of said upstanding bead from peripheral portions of said disks.

6. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said adjacent disk material is paper and said remaining disk material is plastic.

7. The closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said vapor ingress means is defined by means spacing said adjacent disk from said oor portion, aperture means inboard of said spacing means, and means placing said aperture means in fiuid communication with said area through said spacing means.

8. The closure as defined in claim 3 wherein said spacing means is a wall projecting toward said disks, and said wall terminator above said oor portion.

9. The closure as defined in claim 3 wherein said spacing ymeans is a generally C-shaped wall projecting toward said disks, and said vapor ingress means is defined by an aperture within said C-shaped wall and a passage between terminal ends of said C-shaped wall.

10. The closure as defined in claim 9 wherein said vapor egress means is defined by means spacing wall portions of said upstanding bead from peripheral portions of said disks, and said last-mentioned spacing means are a plurality of radially inwardly opening slots in said upstanding bead.

11. A closure comprising a disk-like body having means at its periphery for effecting attachment to a cup or other container, a pair of disks disposed in generally overlying relationship to aperture means in said disk-like body, means retaining said disks disposed in overlying relationship to said aperture means, the disk adjacent said aperture means being constructed from liquid-absorbing material thereby to absorb liquid which passes through said aperture means from within a container on which the closure may be mounted, said remaining disk being constructed from liquid-impermeable material, and means for the egress of vapor beyond said remaining disk to atmosphere.

12. The closure as defined in claim 11 including an upstanding bead defining a chamber, and said pair of disks are disposed in said chamber.

13. The closure as defined in claim 11 including means spacing said adjacent disk above said aperture means.

14. The closure as defined in claim 12 including means spacing said adjacent disk above said aperture means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,193,130 7/1965 Miller 220-44 3,315,831 4/1967 Scott 215-56 JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner 

